Book Review: The Fill-in Boyfriend by Kasie West
Blurb:
When Gia Montgomery’s boyfriend Bradley, dumps her in
the parking lot of her high school prom, she has to think fast. After all,
she’d been telling her friends about him for months now. This was supposed to
be the night she proved he existed. So when she sees a cute guy waiting to pick
up his sister, she enlists his help. The task is simple: be her fill-in
boyfriend – two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. After that, she can
win back the real Bradley.
The problem is that days after prom, it’s not the real
Bradley she’s thinking about but the stand-in. The one whose name she doesn’t
even know. But tracking him down doesn’t mean they’re done faking a
relationship. Gia owes him a favor, and his sister intends to see that he
collects: his ex-girlfriend’s graduation party – three hours, zero commitment,
a few white lies.
Just when Gia begins to wonder if she could turn her
fake boyfriend into real one, Bradley comes waltzing back into her life,
exposing her lie, and threatening to destroy her friendships and her newfound
relationship.
***
This will contain spoilers. You’ve been warned.
The Fill-in Boyfriend is the first book of Kasie West I’ve ever read and it won’t definitely be the last. It is a fun light read tackling love, friendship, family and one’s self. So yeah. You could say it’s an all-in-one story which highlights the romance part more.
Gia is the most popular girl in her school. With her clique, she’s considered by everyone as the leader but she doesn’t get along with everyone in her group. Jules, a member of her clique, is finding a way to bring her down because as she believes, she wants to take away her friends. Initially, I’m not very fond of Gia. She’s like a coward, selfish, whining brat. But as the story goes on, her character development is palpable. So I begin to like her after all.
On the other
hand, I immediately liked fill-in Bradley’s character. He’s like this
gentleman, humorous, kind guy you want to meet in real life. And I love the
fact that he didn’t take advantage of their situation. He takes things slow so
it’s a plus point.
As for the
supporting characters, I have issues with them aside from Bec and her mom (I
love them!) and Gia’s family. (His brother is so messed up but so is she so… I
guess it’s fine.)
I’ll start with
Jules. She was okay but when I found out her reason, I just thought that it’s
too shallow. Then, Claire. Claire is Gia’s bestfriend that’s why I’m hoping
more from her. But I ended up being disappointed. Then there’s this other
friend whose name I forgot because her existence wasn’t that important.
Honestly, she could be kicked out from the story and nothing will ever change.
And last but
definitely not the least, Bradley. The real Bradley. Out of all the supporting characters, I was
hoping more exposure for him. I was expecting he will enter the scene and
complicate things because she wants Gia back, but he didn’t. He just popped out
of nowhere and boom. The blurb is so misleading. I swear!
Despite my
issues with the characters, I had fun reading the story as a whole. It even
send me butterflies in my stomach which I last felt two years ago caused by Perkin’s
Cricket. So, that’s it.
I recommend this
book to some teens out there. It’s really a fun read.
***
- “There are other fish in the sea. It’s a big ocean. Sometimes we need to catch and release a few before we find the keeper.” – Mr. Montgomery
- “Everything is different now and it’s pointless trying to make it the same.” – Hayden
- "We rarely find depth by looking inside of ourselves for it. Depth is found in what we can learn from the people and things around us. Everyone, everything, has a story, Gia. When you learn those stories, you learn experiences that fill you up, that expand your understanding. You add layers to your soul." - Olivia
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